Vehicle suspensions of the prior art have taken many forms and include leaf springs, coil springs and air bags. An early patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,005,513, issued June 18, 1935, to H. C. Weaver discloses a pair of levers which extend crosswise of the vehicle frame and have adjoining ends pivoted to each other. Because of the crosswise disposition of the levers and the disposition of a coil spring above the pivot between the levers, the ride is not cushioned as effectively as it is in my improved suspension.
Another patent in the prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 2,744,749 issued May 8, 1956, to L. F. Fiedor. This patent discloses a suspension wherein an arm has one end pivotally connected to the frame of the vehicle, and two coil springs working on the free end of the arm, one between the arm and the frame and the other between the arm and the wheel axle. This construction requires a weight on the free end portion of the arm. It is submitted that the road shock is not as effectively distributed in the Fiedor construction, because no walking-beam equalizing feature is present.
My improved suspension comprises a walking beam pivoted intermediate to its ends to the frame of the vehicle to extend longitudinally of the frame. One end of the beam overlies the wheel hub and a coil spring is interposed between this beam and the wheel hub. The other end of the beam overlies a support which may be a part of the vehicle frame, or an extension rigidly connected thereto, and a second spring is interposed therebetween. This second spring may take the form of a coil spring or an air bag. In vehicles that have MacPherson strut-type suspensions, the coil spring of such strut may be used as one of the springs required in my improved suspension.